XFL 2.0

Get your He Hate Me jerseys out of the attic!  The XFL is coming back!  Of course, I'm just faking being excited for the return of Vince McMahon's ill-fated horrible football league.  But, like it or not, XFL 2.0 is coming.  And this time, McMahon promises no gimmicks.  It'll be "all about the football."  I hope for his sake that the football will be better than it was in 2001.

As we all know, the original XFL was a colossal failure.  It was too over-the-top and full of dumb gimmicks.  People watched it...in droves.  Then they saw how incredibly awful the football was and stopped watching.  XFL broadcasts still represent some of the lowest-rated programs in NBC history, and as soon as NBC, a co-owner of the venture, pulled the plug, the league was toast.

Although, the original XFL also did some things that were considered revolutionary but now, almost 20 years later, are commonplace in football broadcasts.  Players mic'd up?  Started in the XFL.  The Skycam?  Started in the XFL.  So, while the league itself will forever be known as a massive flop, it does deserve some credit for those innovations that have endured.

In the excellent ESPN 30 for 30 on the original XFL, Vince McMahon acknowledges that it was his fault the league didn't succeed.  And he also hints that he might want to try again.  Sure enough, that's exactly what he's doing.  Although, McMahon's claim that he "won't be the face of the league" is simply laughable.  This guy can't NOT seek the attention for himself.  And, seeing as he's going to be the sole owner of the league and all of its teams, he's, of course, going to make sure he's front and center.

With all that being said, can XFL 2.0 work?  I'm skeptical.  Ever since the AFL-NFL merger, a league has sprung up every few years trying to compete with the NFL.  First there was the World Football League, then the USFL, then XFL 1.0.  They all failed.  So did NFL Europe and the UFL and the FXFL (whatever that was).  Even the CFL's attempt to expand to the U.S. failed.  The Arena League, meanwhile, is still around, but declared bankruptcy, shut down for a year and is now a shell of its former self.

So, XFL 2.0 is definitely facing an uphill battle.  They don't have a TV contract (although McMahon claims that's less important now because of streaming, etc.).  McMahon is also oddly choosing to start his 10-week season in January, in the middle of the NFL playoffs.  At least the original XFL waited until after the Super Bowl to start.  And, no word on where the eight teams will be located, but you'd have to think they'll be large to mid-sized market.  If those are NFL markets, do they want another team?  If they're not, can they support one?

Also, I'm not sure there's really an appetite for more football.  NFL ratings keep going down, and this season they were the lowest they've been in years.  Of course, a lot of outside factors have been blamed for that.

McMahon thinks those outside factors are the reason people aren't watching, which is why he's not going to allow any sort of protests by XFL 2.0 players.  He also claims that anybody with a criminal record won't be welcome, but, who we kidding?, if Johnny Manziel wants to play in the XFL is McMahon really going to stop him?  Likewise, he promised there won't be any "stunt casting."  But, again, I'll believe that when I see it.

Among McMahon's other promises for XFL 2.0 is that games will be faster.  His stated goal is to have games last around two hours.  I have no idea how he thinks he'll accomplish this.  Shorter games would obviously be faster, but I doubt his plan is to have the actual game time be less than the standard 60 minutes.

Ultimately, though, it'll come down to the players.  Because the biggest reason the original XFL failed was because the games simply weren't good enough.  The football was terrible.  And that's the biggest issue XFL 2.0 is going to face.  McMahon doesn't want to be an NFL minor league, but he's not going to get NFL-quality talent, either.  At best, the XFL is looking at guys who are either training camp cuts or practice squad players.  Maybe some vets who can't get an NFL job for whatever reason will get another chance in the XFL.

That, I think, might be the biggest difference, though.  When the original XFL was launched, it was basically only a year from announcement until the first game.  That timeline was obviously not enough to get everything done and do it right.  This time, they're waiting until 2020 before the first game.  Will that extra year make a difference?  It can only help.

I'm not sure there was really too much clamoring for an XFL revival, but we're getting it anyway.  The first one failed miserably.  But that didn't stop Vince McMahon from trying again.  Will it be any different this time?  We'll find out in two years.